The Hebrew place name Akshaf (אַכְשָׁף, also spelled Achshaph) is a Canaanite royal city. Its name is derived from kashaph (H3784, to practice sorcery/enchantment), suggesting the city may have been associated with occult practices, or that its name simply meant "enchantment" as a poetic designation for a beautiful location.
Akshaf is mentioned in Joshua's northern campaign (Joshua 11:1) as a member of the Canaanite coalition led by Jabin of Hazor that assembled against Israel. Joshua decisively defeated this coalition (Joshua 11:8), demonstrating that no military alliance — nor any occult power its name might evoke — could stand against the LORD. The city appears again in the boundary list of Asher (Joshua 19:25). The root word kashaph (sorcery) is consistently condemned in Scripture (Deuteronomy 18:10), and the destruction of these cities represented God's judgment on the spiritual darkness of Canaanite culture.